


Chiaroscuro

by NorthSouthGorem



Category: Original Work
Genre: Adventure, F/F, F/M, Fantasy, Magic, Multi, Necromancy, Original setting, Powerful MC, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:55:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28119552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NorthSouthGorem/pseuds/NorthSouthGorem
Summary: When one has learned the secrets of immortality, what is there left to do but to explore the wild, untamed multiverse without fear? Benito has little interest in the practice of Necromancy, but there is much to appreciate about both Life and Death.
Kudos: 2





	Chiaroscuro

**Prologue: Sending Out**

Benito jolted as he awoke, automatically grimacing as he felt a hard floor beneath his head. “Oof. What happened?” he grunted, sitting up and looking around. All he could see was darkness. “Is the eclipse still going-?”

*Bonk!*

He fell back with a curse as his head smacked a table. “Gah! Shit!” he groaned, rubbing his forehead. Then he blinked. “Wait a second. Why’s there a table here?” Last he remembered, the leyline nexus he’d been conducting the ritual on had been out on a mountainside. But as he carefully crawled out from under the pedestal he’d bashed himself on and looked around, eyes adjusting to the darkness, he realized that wherever he was, it  _ wasn’t _ the mountains.

He stood in the middle of a cavernous room. The walls, floor, and even what little he could see of the ceiling, were all made of a glossy black metal. The walls curved outward, sloping up into the ceiling, and weak lights dotted here and there ensured that he wasn’t completely blind. Glancing at the table, he realized belatedly that it was some sort of round, flat console, with a glowing grid across its surface. 

“What the hell…? How’d I end up in a sci-fi place like this?” he asked himself dubiously. “...Ugh, where’s the damn light switch around here. Can’t possibly find it in the dark like this…hm.” Then he blinked. “Oh.” Hand met forehead. “Must’ve hit my head harder than I thought…”

He held out his hand, palm up, and called,  **“Light!”**

Instantly an orb of light burst into existence, floating above him and brightening the room instantly. The metal gleamed now, even through the thick layers of dust that he could now identify. “What sort of place is this?” he wondered, feeling his way along the walls, “Did someone find out about the ritual?”

Benito Neviani was a magician. Not the kind to perform on-stage, though he had done some of that to drum up some money, but an actual, bonafide magic-user. More specifically, he was a Necromancer. Originally, he’d wanted nothing to do with the power to command the dead; as a guy just trying to get by in the modern age, the idea of raising armies of skeletons and zombies held little appeal to him. What would he even do with that? Terrorize innocents? He wasn’t a sadist. Take over the world? Anyone with any sense knew that being a leader was far more trouble than it was worth.

However, by chance, he’d stumbled across a fascinating arcane puzzle-box, covered in intricate designs that hid various mechanisms. Well, technically it wasn’t arcane; doing some digging, it seemed to be some kind of Druid creation. Even a two-bit dabbler like himself couldn’t resist trying to solve it. It had taken a couple of months of examination, plus some research into its possible origins, but eventually he’d managed to discern the patterns and open it up. Inside had been FAR more objects than what could possibly have fit inside: A length of golden chain, which seemed supernaturally predisposed to wrapping itself around him. A bag full of silver dice, engraved with golden numbers. At the bottom of the box lay a large, red and black book, the pages cut roughly, the cover seemingly carved out of bizarrely flexible obsidian.

Inside  _ that, _ he’d found just the thing to drag him into the world of necromancy: the secret of immortality. More importantly, it was a method to obtain it WITHOUT having to commit terrible atrocities.

His musings on how he’d seemingly gotten into this situation were cut short as he finally located what looked like a circuit-breaker.  _ I wonder if it even worked, _ he thought, even as he switched the thing on,  _ It felt like it did before I passed out. I did everything right, didn’t I? Ugh, just my luck, if someone set me up and then kidnapped me… _

Fortunately, when he flipped the switch, a subtle *whirrrrrr* hummed through the floor. Lines flickered along the walls, before the lights brightened, making him grimace and squint in the sudden brightness, even as he dismissed his Light. “Okay, so this isn’t a prison,” he assumed, turning and heading back towards the console. On the way, his eyes lit up as he spotted a familiar trunk standing next to the pedestal. After solving the puzzle box and retrieving its contents, the container had then miraculously transformed, unfolding and expanding even further until Benito had been left with a large blue trunk, standing almost as tall as he was with some straps to carry it.

Since then, he’d discovered that not only did the box contain countless hidden switches and compartments, but that each of them seemed to count as a Bag of Holding. Twisting a segment of the knotted carvings, he popped open a hatch and pulled out the obsidian grimoire, flipping it open and rifling through it with a frown.

When he’d first acquired it, only a third of the pages had been occupied. Now, however, new silver text had faded into visibility.

“Holy shit!” he mumbled, flipping through them with widening eyes, “Did the author really write down three different kinds of magic in here?!” Then he shook his head and slammed the book shut. “Study later. First, I need to figure out where this is.” Benito stowed the book away, then looked at the flat console. Its surface glowed with a tight grid across the top, some sort of lettering visible under the dust. “Hmm…”

The magician wiped away at the surface, only to jump as it suddenly flashed, beams of light shooting up. In an instant, several rectangular screens flared up, buttons highlighted below them in the air. Slowly, text began to scroll up the screen, flickering and rolling faster than he could focus on, until finally it stopped.

…Startup complete. New user identified. Please state query.

Benito let out an uncomfortable breath. “Okay. We’re getting somewhere.” He reached out and slowly typed,  Where am I?

This is a Multiversal Travel Hub. Time since last use: [DATA NOT FOUND].

He frowned. Leaving aside the fact that this was apparently used for  _ traveling the multiverse, _ the fact that the computer couldn’t remember its last usage didn’t sound good.  Status of Hub.

Scanning. Please stand by.

The console thrummed, and more circuits of light shot out across the floor, shooting towards the doors that ringed the room and fading out of sight. A moment later, a green screen flashed up.

Analysis complete: Hub has sustained extensive damage to all sectors. Communications Array: Offline. Multiversal Network Connection: Offline. Signal Transceiver: Offline. Meta-Mana Discord Filter: Damaged. Power Core: Low. Personnel Quarters: Empty. Universe Coordinate Calculator: Working, provisional. Main Transport Resonator: Working, provisional. Internal Scanner: Working. Auto-repair systems: Damaged, salvageable. Databanks: Working. Emergency Matter Storage: Not Found. Recommended actions: Acquire materials to repair this Hub.

“Shit!” Benito rubbed agitatedly at his temples, gritting his teeth. As expected, he was stuck in a strange sci-fi whatever-station, with no way to contact anyone. Growling, he typed out,  Default Location of Hub. God willing, he might still be on or near Earth. Somehow.

Hub is anchored in a pocket of subspace located between Universes-

It then rattled off a string of numbers and symbols that he could make neither heads or tails of.

So that was right out.

He groaned, running his hands through his hair as he tried desperately not to panic.  Elaborate: Transport Resonator.

Transport Resonator is the mechanism by which this hub facilitates travel to other universes. Currently working, but the Power Core contains only enough power for limited return trips.

A ray of hope straightened his spine.  Locate home universe of user.

Universe Coordinate Calculation will require Quintessence Scan. Initiate scan?

YES

A circle traced itself into the floor around his feet, filling in with what he was surprised to identify as a magic array.  Stand by.

A nimbus of angular rays and rippling space suddenly wrapped around him, making him tingle sharply as some sort of energy seeped deep into his body. He shuddered, but made sure not to step outside the circle.

A few moments later, the phenomenon died down.  Analyzing Quintessence pattern…match identified. Resonance data confirmed with Universe V10694-9813LB-55FOR9.

“YES!” he cheered, pumping his fist.  Transport to Coordinates.

Unable to comply. Report available.

“FUCK!”  Report.

Universe listed does not possess the necessary abundance of materials to repair this hub. In accordance with Protocol Alpha Alpha Beta, only Universal Coordinates that abide by the aforementioned conditions may be locked in for travel.

“...in other words, you won’t let me get home until you’re fixed,” he said out loud, shoulders sagging as the implication sank in. “Assuming I can even get it done.”

Confirmed.

“So you can take verbal requests, huh?” Benito wandered back over to his trunk and sat down heavily on top of it. “Great.” He pondered his situation for a while, still trying (with surprising ease) to suppress his despair. “It’s not impossible,” he told himself, “As long as I can find all that stuff, I can go home and…”

And do what?

His train of thought slowed down. Assuming that the ritual had even worked and made him immortal, what would he even do with it?

Pulling out the grimoire, he flipped idly through the new pages. As he did so, his eyebrows lifted as he caught sight of a passage.  Interdimensional Travel: A Primer. “...Hey, don’t tell me this guy knew that this might happen?” he muttered, skimming the chapter.  Travel to other universes is essential to any aspiring immortal. I have been fortunate enough to come into contact with a technologically advanced race, who have given me the credentials to access a traveling hub for this very purpose. It seems that these are common enough that granting a strange mage like myself access is nigh inconsequential. I have sent this Grimoire out into the void, where someone like you might find my knowledge and benefit from it. If the alterations I made to the ritual properly, then you will be transported there upon its completion.

They say that immortality is a fool’s desire, an affront to the balance of nature that can only invite disaster. If you are a man of character, my faceless disciple, then I bid you to overcome that disaster and rise above them, as you have with Life and Death. I enclose a list of locations that will prove invaluable to you. They lie in my homeworld, a place of wonder and danger; the  _ true _ balance of the universe.

I hope to meet you face to face, one day.

Your friend,

E

Benito stared at the entry, emotions swirling in his gut. For a moment, he felt tiny, almost insignificant, but at the same time  _ immense. _ Someone had entrusted their knowledge to him, not even knowing who he was, but all the same wishing him success.  _ But was I successful? _ he wondered,  _ Did I do the ritual right? _ “Hey, er, system,” he said aloud, “Did that scan show that I’m immortal?”

Quintessence Scan results show several anomalies. User’s Life-force and Death-force have been merged with 100% synchronization. In addition, massive amounts of mana generation have been detected from user’s cellular structure. Mana grade is clear. Magnitude is Rank 9.

The merging was easy for him to understand; the grimoire had explained that by merging the forces of one’s own life and death into one, one would transcend them both, and become immortal. That last bit, however, wasn’t ringing any bells. “What’s the Rank mean?”

Rank 9 is a similar level with critical nodes in a planetary leyline.

_ That _ got his attention. He sat bolt upright, staring down at his hands in astonishment.  _ “What?!” _

User registers as a living focal point of unknown magic. System lacks data with which to elaborate on its nature.

“That was rhetorical…” he mumbled, shaking himself. “Shit. This’s too much…I need to think about it later.” He buried himself back in the book, hoping to distract himself from that revelation. At the bottom of the letter was an 18-digit code, much like the one that the system had used to identify his own world. “...System. Locate universe-” He made sure to double-check. “1XMFK2-ESMSV9-D6ESR7.”

Nearly instantly there was a response.  Database match.

“Can it be locked in?”

Analyzing…Requirements met. This universe possesses adequate quantities of needed materials. Coordinates locked. Preparing Resonance Transport Chamber. Please take a recall beacon.

With a flash of light, a thin, black and green bracelet materialized on top of the main console.

Standing up and hefting the trunk onto his back- incidentally noticing that it was a lot lighter than before -Benito approached and picked up the strip of metal, slipping his hand through. It glowed for a moment and hummed, securing itself snugly.

A door irised open opposite him. He raised an eyebrow and crossed the room, sparing a glance back at the console. Beyond the door was a narrow, round tunnel, with a circular platform at the very center. He entered, letting the entrance close behind him, and strode over to the platform.

Beginning Resonance. Please stand by.

A humming filled the room, tangibly vibrating through his feet and up his body, making his fingertips tingle. Sections of the hallway began to turn, rotating in opposite directions in intervals. Some of them split away, giving him glimpses of a vast web of arches and rings in a larger, spherical chamber beyond. The tunnel itself tilted upwards, aligning itself towards the ceiling. Looking up automatically, Benito watched as the tunnel extended even further to connect itself with a hole opening up at the end. Through it, he could just make out a swirling mass of colors beyond.  _ Is that what it looks like between universes? _ he wondered.

3.

2.

1.

The ground dropped out from under him and he fell. Benito screamed as he plummeted down the tunnel, until finally the metal walls stopped, and he found himself flying out into the colorful void.

As he watched the hub, a tiny black hunk of metal, fade away into the distance, it felt almost like he was floating, adrift in the abyss.

Then there came a terrifying lurch, and his screams began anew as he was  _ flung _ away in a different direction. The colors all blurred together and melted towards him, searing and burning, and

then he split  
and he split  
and he split  
and he split  
he split  
he split  
he split  
he split  
he split  
split  
split split split split split split

Layers stripped away, again and again. Skin, nerves, muscle, bone, countless copies of each were ripped out and split into threads. Benito screamed through it all as he  _ un _ **_raveled._ ** Threads spun apart, before suddenly weaving into other, new threads, becoming drawn into a new tapestry.

For an instant, he saw past the space, and past the space between that. He saw countless titans waging war with each other, changing the landscape again and again, rising and falling in turns. Thrones formed, then filled, then vacated. The fallen would not fall. The living could not rest. The sun loomed over all, its golden rays growing red as they drew near…

And then he arrived.


End file.
